Jeremiah Ajayi
Mustapha Gajibo has invented buses that can travel 200 kilometers without needing to refuel. The buses are now in use in Maiduguri, and he hopes to expand their service area as quickly as possible, making them the first home-built electric vehicle in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Kanuri gentleman has joined the list of notable individuals in history who have created something of value to affect society and the world at large, despite his incapacity to complete his study at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Northeast, Nigeria.
Young entrepreneur Mustapha Abubakar Gajibo is enthusiastic about technology advancements. He is the managing director of Phoenix Renewables Limited, an electric car manufacturer in Borno that produces 200-km electric automobiles. The solar-powered charging stations used by Mustapha allow for a 35-minute full charge of their electric vehicles.
Although Mustapha Gajibo did not have a comfortable upbringing, his perseverance and desire to improve his immediate surroundings and the entire world paid off when he succeeded in converting a gasoline-powered car into an all-electric vehicle.
Although being a native of Borno State’s Dikwa Local Government Area, he was born in Sokoto State. In 2012, when he was admitted to the University of Maiduguri, he was given the option of studying general agricultural science rather than electrical engineering. He had to request a course change. Despite the pressure, he chose mechanical engineering over electrical engineering when it was offered to him. But as luck would have it, he gave up the mechanical engineering undergraduate courses that would have given him a degree.
Instead of joining Boko Haram or banditry, which are popular among young people in the North, the enthusiastic young man pursued his interests in renewable energy and technical ingenuity. A few of his inventions had given him the self-assurance he needed to completely commit to the renewable energy program.
In 2014, he made the audacious decision to register his business with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), one of the Nigerian organizations that grant licenses to eligible people and businesses. He made a decision that not all of his family members agreed with, with the exception of his father, who thought he knew what he was doing. Some of his friends hated him, and some lecturers, including the head of his department, thought he was crazy.
Mustapha planned to increase the usage of electric buses in Nigeria, but Boko Haram’s actions in Borno State, where his plant is located, and elsewhere in the region served as a barrier. He took advantage of the militants’ activity in Borno state, which created congestion in Maiduguri, the state capital. Villagers who were unable to go to neighboring nations fled to the city. The Transit system grew inadequate.
The innovative young man is optimistic about the future of renewable energy and electric vehicles in Nigeria and believes that if Nigerians start adopting electric vehicles as a form of transportation, the government’s planned elimination of petroleum subsidies won’t result in severe economic hardship.
Even though Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria, Babagana Zulum, Governor of Borno State, and Jelani Aliyu, Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, have praised Mustapha Gajibo’s inventiveness, inventions require government policies to be successful.
To help the creative Mustapha, the Nigerian Ministry of Science and Technology must intervene and offer advice and funding. He is one of several successful entrepreneurs who started their businesses after dropping out of University
